TOS Blog Cruise ~ Striving to be Super Homeschool Mom

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Occasionally, when I share with someone that we homeschool, I will get the response “Oh, I could never do that.” The reason could be simply they fear lack of patience or discipline would have the kids running wild while they seek solitude in a Calgon moment. I think that for some mothers, the mere thought of finding the time to educate your children while still maintaining all the other ‘expectations’ that come with your role as a mother and spouse is more than they can bear.

I definitely would fail big time if I had to be Homeschool “Super Mom.”

Along with many other moms in attendance at last year’s Apologia Live!, I chuckled when Rachael Carman said that on any given day she could have a nice, home cooked meal for dinner, a productive school day with the kids, and a clean house. Just don’t expect them all on the SAME day.

And, so it goes in our house. I’d take pictures to share, but right now there’s a giant mess called “Moving Boxes Galore” that would cloud reality. Or, talk to my family who might say the house usually has a state of disarray going on and the moving boxes would just be a different reflection of CHAOS. Somehow the picture pefect house of my dreams only stays around for a short time after a massive clean up. However, my mom and any one else concerned for our well-being can take comfort in knowing that we don’t have any science experiments growing in the house (minus anything that’s happened due to the septic back up last week…still tackling some of that now.)

Over the years, I have learned to find a balance in all things if I want to maintain some level of sanity. So, not every meal is cooked from scratch. We had frozen pizzas one night last week to (1) minimize clean up needs while minimizing water usage and (2) keep my sanity after hours spent finding a fix for the problem. I know that my house looks nothing like the Cleaver’s house and I certainly don’t dress up daily to do housework.

As for homeschooling, this year has presented far more breaks from the normal schedule than I would like. Little J’s birth was budgeted for when I planned out the year. Even with his arrival more than a week before I expected him to come, we had met our initial goal mark. But, the move to Alaska through one big monkey wrench into the mix. The boys still have been reading and learning. It’s just not what I planned academically for them.

What has helped a LOT with homeschooling the boys is to have them work on things together. History is done as a family. R and D are doing science together and I’ve started to have P work with us as well. We’re starting a new grammar program (Analytical Grammar) this next week. While P and R are at different levels, the topics for the upcoming weeks are identical. I’m liking the idea of having the same topic to teach for both boys. It lessens the possibility for confusion.

Now as for finding time to be ‘alone’… well that’s just bordering on crazy talk at this point in our family’s ‘cycle’.

Out of the four boys, only one has been an independent sort of baby. You know.. the kind of baby that’s happy with any reasonably good care giver, nurses just for nourishment, and is content to sleep through the night in the crib. The others have all nursed for both nourishment and comfort, slept at least part of the night in the bed with us, and had a more particular requirement for their caregivers.

Little J, though, has taken it to new heights by often refusing to go to anyone BUT me. Thankfully, he’s become happier to play with his big brothers for a short while or become transfixed with the Wiggles. That will sometimes buy me just enough time to shower (precious ALONE time) and maybe tackle a short task with both hands. And, a few moms at co-op are happy to take him for a short while even if he’s fussy. Sometimes he actually is happy for a while and I bask in the short lived freedom (and physical relief from carrying him!) Last week, I even dared to leave him home with P and Stephen while I took the other boys to karate. First time I exercised since before Little J was born ~ and I enjoyed it!

Somehow, I do manage to squeeze in time for other things. But, I am now quicker to set aside activities that prevent me from meeting primary needs of the family. I used to spend a lot of time volunteering with La Leche League. Moving to Maryland had those commitments lessening and after this more recent move I am evaluating how I might best continue volunteering at a level of commitment that I can easily handle. The same applies to activity at church.

If you want to read what other TOS Crewmates think about this week’s question ( “How do you find time for everything? (homeschool, housework, time alone, etc.?”), click through the banner and visit the listed links. Maybe you’ll find someone who really IS a Homeschool Super Mom. (Some of the Crewmates make me feel like such a slacker at times!) But for me, I’m happy if the boys and others view me as a SUPER homeschool mom who sometimes needs those Calgon moments.